Kiara Campos (left), 25, originally from El Salvador, and Kiera Atkins, 40, smoke on the porch of a transitional group home for transgender adults who are trying to get on their feet. Lexey Swall/GRAIN for NPR

As part of an NPR series about individuals who don’t have much money but do have a big impact on their communities, the heartfelt work of TJFP grantees (2013 and 2014), Casa Ruby was front and center.

The article also highlighted Casa Ruby founder and executive director, Ruby Corado. This spring TJFP had the opportunity to work closely with Ruby, along with five other extremely dedicated panelists from across the U.S. as they selected the 2015 grantees.

In the NPR article, Casa Ruby Is A ‘Chosen Family’ For Trans People Who Need A Home the author writes, “So three years ago, Corado opened Casa Ruby using her own money, a lump sum payment she received from winning a disability case after she was attacked.

Today, Casa Ruby is a growing nonprofit. But more than anything, it’s a haven for many in the transgender community.

Inside the house there are posters reminding people to get checked for HIV. Clients can meet with counselors, who speak English and Spanish. Downstairs there’s a drop in center, with purple walls and stuffed teddy bears on the window sill, and free food for anyone who’s hungry.”